Bulimia, binge-eating issues for men are on rise

Marjie Gilliam/ Cox Newspapers

Source: http://www.detnews.com

Traditionally thought of as affecting mostly women, eating disorders among men are on the rise.

Harvard research results from the first national study of eating disorders in a population of nearly 3,000 adults found 25 percent of those with anorexia or bulimia and 40 percent of binge eaters were men. It was previously thought that men accounted for only about 10 percent of anorexia and bulimia cases.

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by gorging of food followed by purging or other methods to control weight, while anorexia is self-starvation marked by the refusal or inability to maintain normal weight combined with intense fear of gaining weight. Binge eating is the uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food, and here, too, the number of men suffering from the condition is increasing.

Of the three eating disorders, binge eating is the only one considered nonlife-threatening, and not officially recognized as a psychiatric disorder.

Many active, thin males with extremely low body fat levels are looked upon as fit and healthy when, in fact, they may be struggling with an eating disorder. Due to the stigma attached, along with a reluctance to admit lack of control, men are less likely than women to seek treatment.

In addition, men are more likely to be diagnosed with having depression when significant appetite changes occur than receive a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111116/LIFESTYLE03/111160306/Bulimia--binge-eating-issues-for-men-are-on-rise#ixzz1e5Hq4aWa

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Why are men less likely to seek treatment for an eating disorder than women?  What are ways to increase awareness of how bulimia and binge-eating issues impact men?